A signal coupler can couple a processed version of an outgoing signal from a transmission path to a receive path in a transceiver. A connector can provide the processed version of the outgoing signal to a pre-distortion module, which can generate a pre-distortion signal to pre-compensate outgoing signals in the transmission path of the transceiver. A receive path of a transceiver can thus be utilized as a feedback path to a pre-distortion module.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A transceiver comprising: a transmission path to and terminating at a transmitter antenna, wherein said transmission path comprises a transmission path amplifier; a pre-distortion module comprising a desired signal input connected to said transmission path, a feedback input, and a pre-distortion output, wherein said pre-distortion module is configured to generate at said pre-distortion output a pre-distortion signal corresponding to an inverse of a difference between signals at said desired signal input and said feedback input; a receive path originating from a receiver antenna, wherein said receive path comprises a receive path amplifier; a signal coupler electromagnetically coupling a length of said transmission path between said transmission path amplifier and said transmitter antenna to a length of said receive path between said receiver antenna and said receive path amplifier; and a connector connecting an output of said receive path amplifier to said feedback input of said pre-distortion module.
2. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein said transmitter antenna and said receiver antenna are a same antenna.
3. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein: said receive path further comprises a receive path band pass filter disposed between said receiver antenna and said receive path amplifier, and said length of said receive path is between said receive path band pass filter and said receive path amplifier.
4. The transceiver of claim 3 , wherein: said transmission path further comprises a transmission path band pass filter disposed between said transmission path amplifier and said transmitter antenna, and said length of said transmission path is between said transmission path band pass filter and said transmitter antenna.
5. The transceiver of claim 4 , wherein a pass band of said transmission path band pass filter does not overlap a pass band of said receive path band pass filter.
6. The transceiver of claim 1 , wherein: said length of said transmission path comprises a first electrical trace, said length of said receive path comprises a second electrical trace disposed in sufficient proximity to said first electrical trace to electromagnetically couple therewith, and said electromagnetically coupling is between said first electrical trace and said second electrical trace.
7. A transceiver comprising: a transmission path from a transmit input to a transmitter device, wherein said transmission path comprises a first amplifier; a pre-distortion module comprising a desired signal input connected to said transmission path, a feedback input, and a pre-distortion output, wherein said pre-distortion module is configured to generate at said pre-distortion output a pre-distortion signal corresponding to an inverse of a difference between signals at said desired signal input and said feedback input; a receive path from a receiver device to a receive output, wherein said receive path comprises a second amplifier; a signal coupler coupling an end portion of said transmission path between said first amplifier and said transmitter device to an end portion of said receive path between said receiver device and said second amplifier; and a connector connecting said receive path between said second amplifier and said receive output to said feedback input of said pre-distortion module, wherein: said end portion of said transmission path comprises a first band pass filter configured to pass substantially only frequencies in a first pass band, said end portion of said receive path comprises a second band pass filter configured to pass substantially only frequencies in a second pass band, said first pass band does not overlap said second pass band, and said coupler couples said end portion of said transmission path between said first band pass filter and said transmitter device to said end portion of said receive path between said second band pass filter and said second amplifier.
8. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said connector comprises a third band pass filter configured to pass substantially only frequencies in said first pass band.
9. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said coupler is a radio frequency (RF) coupler.
10. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said coupler comprises: a first electrically conductive trace that is part of said end portion of said transmission path; and a second electrically conductive trace that is part of said end portion of said receive path, wherein said first trace is physically separated from said second trace by a distance D.
11. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein: said second amplifier is configured to amplify signals in said receive path from a power level in a first power range to a power level in a second power range, and said coupler is configured to couple a signal in said end portion of said transmission path into said end portion of said receive path with a power level in said first power range.
12. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said coupler couples said end portion of said transmission path to said end portion of said receive path with a decrease in power between negative sixty decibels and negative one-hundred and twenty decibels.
13. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said coupler electromagnetically couples said end portion of said transmission path to said end portion of said receive path.
14. The transceiver of claim 7 further comprising a combined transmitter/receiver device connected to said transmission path and said receive path, wherein said transmitter/receiver device is said transmitter device and said receiver device.
15. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein said transmitter/receiver device comprises an antenna.
16. The transceiver of claim 7 , wherein: said transmitter device to which said transmission path is connected is part of a first combined transmitter/receiver device, said receiver device to which said receive path is connected is part of a second transmitter/receiver device, and said first transmitter/receiver device is different than said second transmitter/receiver device.
17. A process for providing a feedback signal for generation of a pre-distortion signal in a transceiver comprising a transmission path terminating at a transmitter antenna for radiating outgoing signals and a receive path originating at a receiver antenna for receiving incoming signals, said process comprising: providing outgoing signals through said transmission path to said transmitter antenna, said transmission path introducing distortion into said outgoing signals; as said outgoing signals pass through said transmission path to said transmitter antenna, said outgoing signals electromagnetically coupling from a length of said transmission path between a transmission path amplifier in said transmission path and said transmitter antenna into a length of said receive path between said receiver antenna and a receive path amplifier in said receive path; said transmitter antenna radiating said outgoing signals; and providing said outgoing signals coupled into said length of said receive path from said receive path as feedback signals to a pre-distortion module.
18. The process of claim 17 further comprising generating pre-distortion signals with said pre-distortion module utilizing said outgoing signals provided to said transmission path and said feedback signals, wherein said pre-distortion signals compensate for said distortion.
19. The process of claim 18 further comprising modifying outgoing signals in said transmission path utilizing said pre-distortion signals.
20. The process of claim 17 , wherein said transmitter antenna and said receiver antenna are a same antenna.
21. The process of claim 17 further comprising filtering with a band pass filter disposed in said receive path between said receiver antenna and said receive path amplifier incoming signals received at said receiver antenna from a distant transmitter, wherein said length of said receive path is between said band pass filter and said receive path amplifier.
22. The process of claim 21 further comprising filtering said outgoing signals with a band pass filter disposed in said transmission path between said transmission path amplifier and said transmitter antenna, wherein said length of said transmission path is between said band pass filter in said transmission path and said transmitter antenna.
23. The process of claim 22 , wherein a pass band of said band pass filter in said transmission path and a pass band of said band pass filter in said receive path do not overlap.
24. The process of claim 17 , wherein: said length of said transmission path comprises a first electrical trace, said length of said receive path comprises a second electrical trace disposed in sufficient proximity to said first electrical trace to electromagnetically couple therewith, and said electromagnetically coupling is between said first electrical trace and said second electrical trace.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
June 17, 2013
August 25, 2015
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.